Plum baby food is a popular sweet food item containing either cooked or raw plums pureed into a thick liquid designed for easy consumption. Pureed plum baby food may also contain other pureed fruits such as prunes, boosting nutritional content like fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants. Some baby food that contains plums may also contain pureed bananas and other easy-to-digest fruits, like applesauce and pureed pears. Blueberries are also a common fruit pureed into a baby food containing plums, as are cooked vegetables like spinach, broccoli and cauliflower, for added nutrition.
There are many different types of plum baby foods, often using pureed fruits or vegetables combined with plums to enhance nutrition, taste and texture quality. Commercial plum baby food may often contain pure cooked and pureed plums; however, a popular addition to this baby food is applesauce or pear sauce. Small amounts of orange juice or lemon juice are used during the blending process, acting as both a sweetener and preservative, enhancing the vitamin C content of the product. Most of the time a plum baby food acts as a dessert for its sweet and pleasing taste and texture.
Prunes are sometimes added to a baby food made with pureed plums, increasing the fiber and vitamin C content of the food. This type of plum baby food may be helpful in relieving constipation in some babies, yet should only be used with appropriate doctor or dietitian recommendation. Adding cooked and pureed dates to a baby food containing cooked and pureed plums increases the sweetness of the food by increasing the amount of natural sugar. This can be a problem for some babies, especially those who weigh more than recommended for their age and height.
Homemade plum baby food is often made by using cooked prunes and other fruits, since raw foods can often be hard to digest for some babies. Raw baby food puree can also be fed to an infant, yet this type of baby food should be introduced slowly to determine its effects on digestion. Pureeing kiwi and banana, along with prunes, makes an easy-to-digest food that most babies can handle, providing much-needed caloric energy as well as fiber for regularity. Blending together cooked or raw plums with cooked spinach or broccoli may be helpful when trying to make a palatable baby food that increases the infant's intake of vegetables.